Bridging
Loan Exit

One of the most common bridging exit strategies is to refinance the property. You may have used a short term bridging loan for speed – perhaps to buy at auction – or because the property needed some work doing to it before you could raise a traditional mortgage. Either way, refinancing onto a traditional mortgage will bring down the cost of your finance and allow you to extend the loan term over years rather than months.

If you have made improvements to the property that have increased its value, you may well be able to borrow against this increased value and in turn release capital to put back in your pocket for the next project. In this instance you should consider if your estimated increased value is realistic. Do you have comparable evidence of property nearby that is worth a similar amount? The lender will do their own research to check how feasible is your increased value but it is worth doing your homework before you commit to the purchase.

Consider also the timescales for completion of the improvement works, do you have evidence and experience to back them up? Again, be realistic and allow for some contingency if progress is slower than planned. Another thing to consider is how quickly you can remortgage. Some traditional mortgage lenders will not allow you to do so until the property has been registered in your name for at least 6 months. If you’re on a tight deadline then it is essential that you consider this and make sure your solicitor registers the purchase with Land Registry as soon as possible after completion.

If you are using a commercial bridging loan to fund the purchase of a commercial premises you will need to consider the fact that a refinancing on to a commercial mortgage can take much longer than a traditional mortgage. Make sure you factor this into your loan term to allow breathing room for your exit strategy.

The sale of the property is a common bridging finance exit strategy for investors that see an opportunity to buy a run-down property, complete a refurbishment and then sell it on for a profit, but the time it will take for the sale to complete can be difficult to judge. If your plan is to refurbish and sell the property within six months then the lender may question if this is achievable. We would advise that you allow for worst case scenario and as such, in the above example, a twelve-month term will give you more breathing space. There might not be any difference in the bridging loan rate, however, if you choose to take a bridging loan on a retained or rolled interest basis, the lender will release less cash on day 1 toward the purchase so you need to ensure you have the money to cover the larger deposit requirement.

If there is a clear route to a lump sum of money in a certain timeframe then you may use a bridging loan to secure the deal in advance of receiving the cash lump sum. It may be money from a pension or perhaps an inheritance that is pending probate. Alternatively, there may be another property sale that is close to completion, or some investments that are maturing on a certain date. Whatever the source of cash is, providing you can evidence it in some way and all parties are happy with its viability then you can proceed with the purchase, confident you can exit the bridge.